1. Field of the Invention
A molded resin or rubber wheel and molded resin bearing assembly especially adapted for shopping cart usage.
2. Discussion of Related Art
Wheel assemblies for shopping carts are expected to be inexpensive to manufacture, simple to assemble and capable of withstanding exposure to weather extremes, abuse and high loads, while at the same time enabling quiet, smooth and low rolling friction movement of carts. Molded, high strength rubber and polymer resin compounds have been used extensively for the wheels of such carts and more recently the use of molded bearing components in the hubs of such wheels has been suggested to absorb shock loads, avoid corrosion problems and to lower the cost of the wheel and bearing assemblies.
Examples of prior art molded wheels having resin or non-metal bearing components are seen in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,592,595 and 5,174,633. These examples, however, include metal components and are somewhat complex to manufacture and assemble.